Ava Crawford

Ava Crawford is an experienced journalist specialising in personal finance and property buying. Ava was a senior finance journalist at Mozo, covering the Australian payments sector. She has also contributed to notable outlets such as The New York Times, ITV, Foxtel LifeStyle and FOXArena. She attended New York University and completed a Bachelor of Arts in English and American Literature. She is also ASIC RG146 (Tier 2) certified for general advice.
Buying a home guides
Australian couple talking to a buyer's agent
What is a buyer’s agent in Australia?
Updated 
January 23, 2023
Two women with their child looking at a laptop.
Property negotiation tips you need to know in Australia
Updated 
January 23, 2023
Home loan guides
Mother and daughter in the kitchen preparing a salad
What is the upfront cost of a home loan?
Updated 
January 23, 2023
Couple talking to a real estate agent
Can I get a home loan with no deposit?
Updated 
January 23, 2023
Articles
deposit-bonds-real-estate-australia
Costs of buying a home
Deposits
No deposit home loans
Top Benefits of Using a Deposit Bond for Property Purchase
Updated 
March 24, 2025
couple and baby in the house they purchased with 2% genuine savings
Deposits
First home buyers
What are genuine savings? Do I need them to get a mortgage?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
couple in bed discussing purchasing a property together
First home buyers
Costs of buying a home
How do I share a mortgage with a partner?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
aerial picture of Australian homes that could be purchased with OwnHome through a mortgage broker
Mortgage brokers
OwnHome
Deposits
Can mortgage brokers refer clients to OwnHome?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
young family who purchased a home through a nonbank lender
First home buyers
Deposits
What is a non-bank lender and how do they compare to the Big Four banks?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
father playing with his child in the garden during spring when property season is at its height
Auctions
Costs of buying a home
First home buyers
Negotiating purchase price
Best time of year to buy a house: Seasons for the property market in Australia
Updated 
March 24, 2025
couple speaking to mortgage broker about their options
Mortgage brokers
First home buyers
Do I pay my mortgage broker?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
couple going to an open house looking to buy when the cash rate is high
First home buyers
Costs of buying a home
Mortgage brokers
Should I buy a house while interest rates are high?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
kids on a swing in a home in queensland purchased with the first home owner grant
First home buyers
First home buyer schemes
What is the Queensland First Home Owner Grant?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
couple purchasing a home with 100% financing no deposit
Deposits
Low deposit options
Upfront costs
Can I borrow the entire home loan deposit amount?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Large white home with equity to lower mortgage repayments
Loan to value ratio
Refinancing
How to use your home equity to get a cheaper mortgage
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Family sitting on the deck of their own home with their small children
First home buyers
Upfront costs
How do childcare fees impact getting a home loan in Australia?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
James Bowe and Tim Harley - founders of OwnHome
OwnHome
News
Deposit Boost Loan Launch Press Release
Updated 
May 17, 2024
young couple sitting on the couch, celebrating their home purchased with an OWnHome Deposit Boost Loan
OwnHome
Upfront costs
First home buyers
How does an OwnHome Deposit Boost Loan work?
Updated 
April 11, 2025
family sitting at the garden table eating lunch at home with a loan with an offset account
First home buyers
Loan to value ratio
What is a home loan offset account?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
couple looking at their new home they purchased after their home loan application was approved
First home buyers
Loan to value ratio
What do lenders look for in my bank account transaction records when I apply for a home loan?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
dad and daughter kicking ball with puppy in backyard of house with australian home loan
News
First home buyers
Australian home loan statistics 2023
Updated 
March 24, 2025
family who are looking for way to afford a new house hugging outside
First home buyers
Upfront costs
Costs of buying a home
Low deposit options
Deposits
What is the Australian Labor government's Help to Buy shared equity scheme?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
family sitting on the couch in their living room, playing with their dog in the home that they have a principal and interest loan out on.
First home buyers
Costs of buying a home
How do I calculate interest on my home loan?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
young family walking up the steps to their new home that they took out a bridging loan to purchase
First home buyers
What is a bridging loan and when can I use one?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
couple sitting on the couch one the computer looking for a home loan while working for themselves
First home buyers
Can I get a home loan if I’m self-employed?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
dining room in an australian house where the mortgage has been paid off early
First home buyers
What happens if I pay off my mortgage early?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
outside of an australian house that need a valuation
Costs of buying a home
First home buyers
Loan to value ratio
What is it a home valuation and how much does it cost?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
young couple taking a picture with the keys to their new home purchased with a gifted deposit
Low deposit options
Deposits
First home buyers
How do I gift my child a home deposit?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
white kitchen counter in an Australian home on which the owner has made extra repayments
Costs of buying a home
Should I make extra repayments on my home loan?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
nice interior of home for sale with a mortgage
Costs of buying a home
Can you sell a house with a mortgage?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
Exterior of a home with a tree the equity in which can be used for a home deposit
Deposits
No deposit home loans
Loan to value ratio
Can I use equity in a home as a mortgage deposit?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Father and daughter playing in their garden after having his DTI assessed by a lender
First home buyers
What is debt-to-income ratio?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
mother cuddling her daughter on the couch researching if she qualifies for a lmi waiver
Lenders mortgage insurance
Deposits
Low deposit options
First home buyers
Do I qualify for a Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) waiver?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
woman sitting at her desk working from home researching how much house she can afford with her salary
Deposits
Low deposit options
Costs of buying a home
How many times my salary can I borrow for a home loan?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
couple drinking coffee in their house as joint tenants
Conveyancers
First home buyers
Deposits
Settlement & move in
What’s the difference between tenants in common and joint tenants?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
woman trying to read in her bedroom with her dog despite her noisy nextdoor neighbours
First home buyers
News
What can I do about my noisy or disruptive neighbours?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Australian family home eligible for a reverse mortgage
Refinancing
Loan to value ratio
What is a reverse mortgage?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
Australian home purchased with an inherited deposit with flowers in the front garden
No deposit home loans
Deposits
Guarantor home loans
Can I use inheritance or gifted money as a home loan deposit?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
family sitting on the couch in a home purchased with parents as home loan guarators
First home buyers
Deposits
Guarantor home loans
Upfront costs
Refinancing
How long does a guarantor stay on a mortgage in Australia?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
family chatting on garden porch celebrating the cash rate going down
Upfront costs
Refinancing
News
When will interest rates go down?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Australian home that payments are subject to RBA movements
Costs of buying a home
Deposits
First home buyers
Loan to value ratio
Home loan interest rates: May 2024
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Family looking at a house that they hope to put a deposit in for
Auctions
Deposits
First home buyers
How to pay your deposit at an auction
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Family sitting on the couch after saving money on capital gains tax when selling home
News
How to reduce capital gains tax when selling your property
Updated 
May 17, 2024
Mum and son playing in house with discharged mortgage
News
Refinancing
How to discharge your mortgage and what that means
Updated 
March 24, 2025
australian street of terrace houses where interest rates have risen over the last decade
Deposits
News
Historical mortgage interest rates in Australia
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Father gets his daughter ready for school worried about a coming Australian recession
Costs of buying a home
First home buyers
News
What is a recession, is Australia headed for one, and how can you prepare?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
couple with their child researching on a laptop how to lower their mortgage rate
First home buyers
Guarantor home loans
Refinancing
How to lower your mortgage rate
Updated 
March 24, 2025
young couple and their baby in the house they bought utilising a NSW first homebuyer scheme
Costs of buying a home
First home buyers
First home buyer schemes
Upfront costs
What is the First Home Buyer scheme in NSW, and how does it work?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Group of Australian friends with HECS debt discussing homeownership
Low deposit options
Does HECS-HELP debt affect your home loan borrowing power?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
Couple smiling enjoying their new home paid for with a drawndown loan
Costs of buying a home
What is a loan drawdown?
Updated 
May 17, 2024
Australian couple looking at loan options considering comparison rates
Deposits
First home buyers
What is a home loan comparison rate?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
power lines over a classic australian cottage which has gone up in value over the last decade
Costs of buying a home
Deposits
News
Where is the Australian housing market right now?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Apartment block in sydney where mortgages are on the rise
Costs of buying a home
News
What is the average mortgage in Australia?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Row of Sydney terrace houses on which the rent is rising
First home buyers
News
What is the average rent in Australia?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
a row of houses that could be purchased with a 10% deposit
Lenders mortgage insurance
Loan to value ratio
Low deposit options
Deposits
Can I get a home loan with a 10% deposit in Australia?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Couple lying on their couch cuddling researching their low deposit home loan options and considering lmi
Deposits
Upfront costs
Lenders mortgage insurance
Do I have to pay LMI on a 10% deposit home loan?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
couple researching NSW buyers agents to start their property hunt
Buyer's agents
Negotiating purchase price
Settlement & move in
Using a buyer's agent in NSW
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Australian couple meet with their buyers agent in the kitchen to discuss costs
Buyer's agents
Costs of buying a home
Upfront costs
How much does a buyer’s agent cost in Australia?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Australian couple applying for low deposit home loan and paying lmi
Deposits
Low deposit options
Upfront costs
Do I pay LMI on a 5% deposit home loan?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Couple sitting on a yellow couch with their cat
Deposits
Low deposit options
Can you get a home loan with a 5% deposit in Australia?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Australian first home buyer young woman sitting at a desk doing stamp duty exemption paperwork
Upfront costs
First home buyers
First home buyer schemes
Do first-time home buyers in Australia have to pay stamp duty?
Updated 
March 24, 2025
classic Australian red brick cottage that the owners are considering refinancing
Refinancing
Reasons to refinance your home loan in Australia
Updated 
March 24, 2025
Woman looking at laptop
Buyer's agents
What is a buyer’s advocate and how can they help you?
Updated 
March 24, 2025